29 replies to this topic

[Picardim]

For those of you who have lost friends to vicious "Wow" addiction, you'll find some sympathy below in the form of a YouTube. The news short tries to make a strong analogy between Warcraft addiction and more well-known deadly addictions, such as drugs and alcohol. We even get an "addict's mum" breaking down into tears, bewailing the tragedy of losing her son to WoW.

For those of us who actually know something about the game, this is either hilarious or frightening (in the sense that stuff like this tends to whip the parents and legislators into a bit of coercive frenzy). After all, we've been dealing with these accusations since the days of Pong...Sigh. When will people stop blaming the medium instead of looking at the true cause of these "addict's" problems? I think a good place to start in this case, for instance, isn't WoW, but rather this kid's oddball relationship with his mom!

There are even websites that state how to break this addiction. Here are some tips from various websites

Quote

1. Admit you have a problem. This may be hard, but accepting that Warcraft has taken over your life is the initial step into overcoming your addiction.
2. Consider the following: Imagine the day that you first bought the game. If you knew everything you did now, would you still have bought it? Now the follow up question: Imagine yourself in two years, still playing WoW, looking back on today when you are making the decision to quit or keep playing. How do you feel about your decision to continue?
3. Find out what has caused your addiction. What makes World of Warcraft (WoW for short) so appealing to you? Is it the fact that it has different continents that you will never go to? Is it the fighting? Is it your "unique" role as a tank or a mage? Is it the happiness of 'pwning noobs'? Whatever it is, try to minimize this happiness in WoW, and make it a pleasure that you could also get in every day life.

* Take a martial arts class. Many gamers are very interested in the martial arts, but never study it. Take up some sort of martial art that is similar to your character in WoW. For example, if you use a sword in the game, then take up fencing, Kendo, or SCA fighting.
* Read. Novels have just as much excitement and adventure as WoW, but you can expand other skills -- such as critical thinking and vocabulary -- in addition to those that interactive storytelling and game play will build.
4. Get into a game, such as Dungeons and Dragons or other pen and paper rpg's. They still have the social element, which is what makes WoW so addictive, and they make your brain stronger!

* Play a less time consuming video game with all of the rewarding feelings of WoW.
5. Burn yourself out by finding the ways to cheat at World of Warcraft. Find a private server to play on, with ultra fast leveling/gold. Cheating through the entire game in an hour will get you burnt out very, very quickly. Some of them give so much xp they level you up 20 levels for discovering the first major city, and mobs start out dropping 30g each. (Though remember, playing on private servers is a violation of the Blizzard ToS, which can get your account banned)
6. Make it a joint effort. Believe it or not, many people play World of Warcraft simply because their friends play it, and they find it enjoyable to spend time with them in WoW. If this is the case, then convince your friends to stop playing (with these steps, if needed), or even better, find another game to play. Otherwise, explain to your friends and family what you're doing, and ask them to help you stay on track. When you can't trust yourself to keep away from WoW, you have to trust someone else to stop you.
7. Set up parental controls for yourself. Make it so your play-time is limited, and use a complicated password that you are sure to quickly forget. Or, ask a friend or family member to set the parental controls with a password you don't know.
8. Schedule other activities with your free time, so you won't have time to play WoW. One of the most effective way is to get a part time job and book every free time you have to work. Hang out with your friends, play basketball, engage in extra curricular activities at school (such as clubs or sport teams) or volunteer. The important thing is that they keep you outside of your home, away from your computer. You can find that there are many things that are just as exciting as playing WoW. Remember, your "guild" online is no substitute for the company of real friends.
9. Sell your account. There are many players and lazy people out there, willing to pay for an existing account. This is a great way to stop playing, because then someone else takes your character, and you won't be able to control it any longer. This is a nice way to quit, but not stop addiction.
10. Sabotage your WoW future. Get on your character, destroy all of your items, and delete your character. Then go on the account management page, remove your credit card info, and change your password to a random string of text. Change all of your personal info, so it is impossible to retrieve your password. If you have your CD key that came with WoW when you purchased it, scratch it out, and throw it away, making it impossible to retrieve your account. If you feel that it is necessary, uninstall the game and snap the CD in half, too. Now, you officially can't play any longer, and if you ever somehow get back on your account, all of your in-game progress is deleted. This is the hardest of the steps to do, but is the most effective.
11. Beat the game. When all else fails, play until you reach the highest level possible. Many players get to the maximum level (at least until Blizzard releases another add-on pack) then look back and realize with disappointment that they've been following what is known by many gamers as the 'role-playing game grind', or the extremely repetitive and ultimately fruitless efforts of gaining gold, levels, and experience. Because when it's all said and done, a dead man's possessions are not important; it's the memories that count. So go out and make your own, now, in the real world.
12. Do activities that are productive in the real world but allow you to have the same satisfaction of leveling up like getting fit, learning to cook, succeeding in school courses.

[cangor]

There are people who seriously have problems with WoW, and it's their fault and their fault alone. People need to learn some self control. Sure playing games is okay (though kinda worthless), but when games start taking over your entire life, it's time for a serious reality check. There are hundreds of better things to do with your time.

[suberatu]

cangor, on Feb 7 2008, 08:00 PM, said:

There are people who seriously have problems with WoW, and it's their fault and their fault alone. People need to learn some self control. Sure playing games is okay (though kinda worthless), but when games start taking over your entire life, it's time for a serious reality check. There are hundreds of better things to do with your time.

I completely agree. People who actually get 'addicted' to video games are either lacking in intelligence or have some sort of legitimate mental problem. I think, however, that the problem is that every person has their own perception of this 'addiction'. Honestly, most people who don't play video games see anyone playing it for a prolonged period of time to be addicted, when in fact the person may not be. Regardless, as I understand there is yet to be any scientific proof found actually proving that one can become addicted (dependant) to a form of electronic media. Another thing is that if a mother believes she has 'lost' her son to a game, then there is a much more serious problem than just the game itself.

On a lighter note, I found the quoted guideline to getting over WoW addiction from the first post to be quite amusing.

[liwenjones]

cangor, on Feb 7 2008, 07:00 PM, said:

There are people who seriously have problems with WoW, and it's their fault and their fault alone. People need to learn some self control. Sure playing games is okay (though kinda worthless), but when games start taking over your entire life, it's time for a serious reality check. There are hundreds of better things to do with your time.

But the problem here is that gaming IS their life. WoW addicts DO have real jobs you understand. They just decided that they rather live in a fantasy world than in reality.

The biggest problem here is for us to understand that this fantasy world is a huge part of the 21st century. People meet their husbands and wifes and friends in WoW. People have an identity in WoW - may it be rich or powerful. These are not easily given up by the average person living in the slums working 9 hour shifts at $8/hr. It's just an escape from what's around them.

But yes, sometimes it can go too far. For example, I read an article about a husband who divorced his wife of 6 years and left his two kids just to play WoW. Once it gets to becoming extreme... steps must be taken to fix it.

[CrashCore]

liwenjones, on Feb 11 2008, 06:36 PM, said:

But the problem here is that gaming IS their life. WoW addicts DO have real jobs you understand. They just decided that they rather live in a fantasy world than in reality.

It is sad but true. I have quite a few friends who, from all outward appearances would be just the same as they were years ago. However, the amount of free time WoW consumes is ridiculous. The problem, like you said, really comes when people decide to live in the real world, but always dream of the fantasy world where they have something different than the usual every-day (thinking about WoW outside of the game frequently is the largest problem).

Nothing is wrong with the game itself, I played it myself for a while and it was enjoyable to a point. Limiting oneself is difficult for some reason when it comes to MMO RPGs, and it is very VERY difficult to climb back out once one decides the fantasy world is better or more enjoyable and fulfilling than the real world.

[MadDog]

I think a large part of the "problem" is that gaming, especially when youre playing online against real people, itself attracts a disproportionate number of addictive personalities. Take the gaming away, and a large percentage of those folks would find something else to fill the void.
I certainly agree that if youre spending 50% of your life playing anything online, you have a problem. But blaming a computer program seems to me to be a cop-out of a major kind to me. In fact Id wager that you'll find far more people are addicted to being online full stop. Be it forums, e-bay, myspace, gaming, or whatever else floats your boat. In fact, Id probably put myself in that category. Considering that my job, (marine contractor), has absolutely nothing to do with computers, I usually spend a couple of hours before work, and however many after work, as admin at a couple of boards, and as a member at several others. I console myself with the thought at least Im not getting drunk every day, or zonked out of my head on drugs with the music cranked etc.
Back to gaming, (sorry ), Yeah I don't mind a bit of a game every now and then. I'll quite happily sit down for 7-8 hours and play Oblivion for instance, and then not look at it again for a month. Like you all said, when it takes over your life you have a problem, but the problem is YOU, not the machine.
BTW Ive played WOW, it just didn't turn me on.

[iGuest]

Im hooked on the addcition pages...
World Of Warcraft Addiction

As crazy as it sounds, I stopped playing WoW along time ago purely because I couldn't afford it anymore but now I'm hooked on the addcition pages... Its strange I just love reading about peoples addictions, its so intresting how peoples minds work...



-reply by Mr moose

[iGuest]

Yeah I know peole really get addicted but I don't care I have the 3 hour per day limit. After 3 hours the game shuts off and am cool.. I would say am that addicted but if I wanted to I could quit in 2 sec

-reply by stealth

[iGuest]

BELTH lvl 70 warrior

Very addicting game indeed
Gone cold turkey for a week

Terrible hating life no good

-reply by belthazarus

[iGuest]

TO WOW ADDICTS
World Of Warcraft Addiction

BEFORE READING THIS, THIS COMMENT IS FROM VERY EXPERIENCED END- GAME PVP/PVE PLAYER SO KEEP IN MIND WHAT I'M SAYING.





So I've been playing WoW for about 1.5 yrs now, currently I'm in Sunwell guild and I am Tri-Gladiator (top 0.5% PvPer in BG)in 2v2 3v3 and 5v5 throughout the Season 1-3. So yes, I've been through every single end game things possible in this game.



I think this website pretty much saids the things I am about to say so I'll sum up to this...



World of Warcraft = Pure grinding game in both PvP/PvE.



WoW is designed in a way that players can just grind and grind everyday to achieve whatever little things they want.



BUT THE BIG QUESTION IS: Why does millions of people still play?



-simple, ever heard of "1st time MMOplayers?" That's right. I've seen and heard tons of age groups from 11-50s playing WoW only because the game is pretty easy to play, time-consuming and a lot of people play WoW for the 1st time because of their advertisements. They became very famous quickly saying it is the best MMORPG there is,,, but trust me, WoW is TERRIBLE MMORPG game. If you do not agree with me, you're disagreeing with 0.5% top PvP player in the game (Stormstrike BG) and also end-game PvE experienced player so I know exactly what the **** I am talking about. Plus, I've played/arenaed over 4+ other 70s in both factions as well to master all their skills and mechnics that involves in PvP and PvE.



It used to make me laugh whenever I see or hear old married couple playing WoW with their families&relatives but not anymore because there are so ****ing many of them lol (no offense intended).



I've played for 1.5 yrs(I know there are 3yrs+ players out there), and you may think that I only hate WoW because I've been through end-game materials and " omg so pro pvper" I hate it because of the game play itself. It is pure ****ing grinding even in arenas/BGs every little **** you do, it is grind grind grind and grind some more. Yes, waste more time please so you can pay your dirty 15 bucks every month and don't forget!! Build friendship with your guildies through vent and through forums so that you love this game more :D



I'm writing this comment because I am no longer WoW addict. But yes, I still play occasionally to get my games in for arenas.



I mean I have 115days played on my main hunter and probably 30+ on all other alts and friend's 70 I've played on. So that's total of 145ish days. 145 ****ING DAYS SITTING ON YOUR ASS FRONT OF YOUR MONITOR. 145 days times 24 = thats total of 3480 HOURS PLAYING WOW. I mean wow lol. It really tells you how much of your life was wasted on this game when you can do so many other things in your "real life" other then WoW.



Let me tell you one thing before I say anything else. For those who played WoW for their first MMORPG, there are other great MMORPG games out there but I wouldn't promote it because that will only cause addiction as well XD

Only game I would prefer playing though is Lord of the Rings online. Very good game indeed, PVE/Questing and their graphics are ridiculously awesome and PvP is pretty good too. I will not say anymore about this game b/c that will draw you too much attention XD ( and waste more of my time of course).



Last thing I would say is "don't PLAY WOTLK PLEASE YOU'RE MAKING BIGGEST MISTAKE IN YOUR LIFE. ****ING LISTEN TO YOURSELF" WOTLK is pretty ****ing obviously how it is going to end up. It is just like lvling from 60 to 70 when tbc came out. In WOTLK, only thing that is seems interesting is combat while you're on mount and some new siege war, which will turn out gay as **** and grinding like crazy because PvP = more grinding than PvE, trust me lol. I mean come on guys, WOTLK is going to end up same**** and will become bored eventually. And I know a lot of people play WoW because of your friends, families, neighbors, etc but realize this,,, ,,,



You are simply wasting your time and just because you can't have normal cool life like others(by means cool good looking people who can get girls for example), that doesn't mean you should just sit your ass in front of your computer and hit on girls ingame. I mean ****ing come on now lol. I've seen ugly fat ass people getting good looking girls. Just try to be out going in anyway,,,if you don't have many friends, I'm sure as a human being there should be always a way to find people to start hang out with and enjoy your real life. Get a grip, Get a job and Get a "Real" life people.



-reply by END-GAME PLAYER

[krzyflipx]

I know a couple of friends who revolve their life around WoW its kind of sad since they have excluded them selves by society :\ I haven't really had any addiction for some games but I am a fan of shooters fps and rts games. I also like to tweak my systems and consoles but i've never really had an addiction.

[joeblogg]

none of my friends play wow. but even if they did, its their choice and they can do whatever they want with their own life. it is a little bit sad having a world of warcraft addiction but i can't do anything. just let them be.

[xenador]

I used to play wow I had a 70 hunter on detheroc and belonged to a large guild. I wouldnt say wow is bad in and of itself. It is a fun way to waste time, but it is crucial to realize this before you start. The begining it seems like it will be a good way to spend an hour but it progressively gets longer due to higher lvls and harder quest, then endgame stuff...it is possible to play wow as a hobby if you have a normal social life and friends that keep up with you IRL that is, also endgame == high tendency to waste too much time. The runs at the least take 1hr but most take closer to 8 hours when you are starting with a new guild...some can be done in less than 4 hrs but regardless...lots of time to waste per a day each week gearing and grinding. The reason I quit...wow was getting in the way of my life, I had lived in a small town with not much to do but at a certain point (when I was able to drive) I found out that there was more than just my small town and started going to other towns to meet friends etc and have fun in general, wow became a burned on my life at that point and so I quit it...I would argue there is no "addiction" because I never suffered withdraws but I believe the term is being used in the sense that you establish relationships ingame and if you value those more than those IRL then your desire takes over and the game becomes the medium in which you participate, the problem with this is you need someone in front of you to have a friendship, and no virtualized representations dont count, because then the power fails and your friendship is ended. Sad situation.

new slogan: Wow is not addicting friendships are, we should ban friendships (lol)

[harrison858]

It really is sad for the people who are addicted to games, or facing the screen all day. They need to realize that they have a life of their own, a REAL life. I too, believe that gaming could be a waste of time, thats why the most I spend on it is about 45 mins/day for maybe 4 days a week.

Some people seem like they're gaming 24/7, and that's just scary. Its like everytime they get off the computer, they act like they're not mentally with you when you ask a question. You could be like "Time for dinner" and they'll go "huh?" like 3 times before they realize you are talking to them. They would look like they're half awake, half asleep.

Also, in the social world....

If you're too addicted to games like WoW, you'll start losing friends and your relationship, little by little, because you're probably thinking about games, or w/e. Your school grades will eventually fall(If you go to school), and you will lose your sense of urgency (I think I spelled that right).

The sadest part is when you're too addicted that you cant stop. Problems can start to occur, such as not eating enough (cuz you're playing the game), not getting enough sleep, your eyesight getting worse, etc.

So I believe that people should'nt spend so much time in gaming, and as someone stated above, gaming is literally pointless, because you're just interacting with people you dont know, and it wont benefit you.

I usually game if I'm bored, but other than that, I will find more things to do with my time.

So, for the people that are addicted to WoW, I hope they realize if they are spending too much time on it, trying too hard over a game.

[iGuest]

22 and Obsessed!World Of Warcraft Addiction

My husband is 22 has a 2 month old baby that he hardly knows... Thanks to WoW. I am sick and tired of feeling second best next to this game. He plays it day and night. I've tried everything to get him to stop. So I made a compromise with him to just have him limit his play time and up his family time. But that hasn't worked out so well either. I have considered sending him to thearpy for it. But he doesn't have the time for that (active duty in the army). I'm not trying to take it away from him entirely. But just get him to spend a lot less time playing and a lot more time taking care of his son. He's deploying for a year this August and doesn't even care about spending time with us. I am more upset about the fact that he wanted nothing more than to start a family and have a baby... And when we did so he just put us on the back burner. I've tried talking to him about how I feel several times. He doesn't seem to care about that either. It's really starting to take a toll on our marriage. I have considered leaving him because of this sick addiction (that he thinks he doesn't have). I know it seems like I'm nagging, but I bet there are thousands if not millions of others out there who feel the same way. So if there is any advice and or suggestions from anyone it would be greatly appreciated. 

-reply by Ashley

 

[novic_1223]

Well, i have to agree with some of the comments that were posted up such as people getting addicted to it but in my opinion one of the major reason it is so addicting is becasue it is a really cool game with no end...what other games have you met so far in your life that never ends. Occasionally when playing a game and upon reaching the end you realize how pointless it was when you reached the best that you could possibly be in that game. This is not the case in WoW. People get addicted in their endless quest for more power and end up being comsumed in simply wanting to be the strongest. although no matter how hard you try there is always someone stronger than you. This is very very annoying becasue you can't seem ever be the strongest or it would be something very very very hard to acheive. This is all my opinion over the time that i have been playing WoW and it is the same reason why i forced myself to stop playing the very exciting game(that i love)....with no end. How better could it be?
The only down side the the 16 Gb harddrive space that it takes up but when you see how freakishly large and all the things that you can get on that game you wll instantly no why
WORLD of warcraft
It is a whole other frikin world!

[frozen.fish]

I played WoW, and didnt get hooked up, it sucks.. the thing with MMOs are you are in another world leaving the real world..

Seek help if you are always in your own fantasy world..

[Alex Cicala]

An easy way of getting out of a WoW addiction is too just play another game. Most people who have this addiction can only afford this game, then again its a fortune per year, that then relates to the addiction.

Many other games offer tenfold the enjoyment you find in MMO's, like Crysis, or even World Of Goo. May I add Counter-Strike is not an MMO.

[iGuest]

Warcraft AddictionWorld Of Warcraft Addiction

I know of warcraft. Funnily enough my friend just recently created a site for people with the addictions to hopefully find assistance and help each other ( http://www.Intotheblizz.Com/ ). I think that these addictions though are fine if the person is happy with the way life is and are also managing to keep a grip on life while playing. I think the game is obviously built to absorb people into the fantasy world and get them hooked but in the end it's up to the person to get completely sucked in or have it in moderation like everything else. Either way a gamer, one way or another, will probably be spending most of his or her time playing some form of game whether this one or anything else out there.

-reply by Aristova

 

[iGuest]

Reply to ya comment :DWorld Of Warcraft AddictionReplying to iGuestI am a wow player and I hate when people tell me to get off my azz when I play wow and do work.. But.. I have an idea. But since I'm a wow player I personally think its horribly mean but it might work :D.. This idea has 3 outcomes. A good outcome or a bad one.. Or a hes smart one. Idea: Pretend your going to play wow. Tell him to gtfo. And hack his account. Delete his chars and change his password.Good outcome: he gets really depressed and quits wow...Bad outcome: He knows u did it and is a really angry hulk !Hes smart outcome: He messages blizz and says his acocunt got hacked and he gets everything back and wow is his #1 again. :D-reply by anon

 

[iGuest]

husband addictedWorld Of Warcraft Addiction

my husband is addicted. We have been married 8 yrs now, and I'm about to stop counting. We have 4 children and he hardly knows any of them. He makes excuses to get on the game, or why he NEEDS the game. He refuses to work, and he hardly watches the children. Thankfully his mother is helping us out. But she cant admit that her son has a problem and makes excuses for it as well. I have to keep quiting my jobs to take care of the house and children, or he makes me late so much they fire me, because I cant get him up to watch kids cause he was on the game til 6am. The only thing he does is sleep and play the game. While I was pregnant with the last child I was doing everything even though I was supose to be in bed. When I'm in tears begging for my husband to get off the game and help me vacume a floor because it hurts and I'm in labor. Then its obvious the person is addicted. Even more so when he tells me to wait a min so he can finish a boss, before taking me to the hospital, (which he spent the whole time on the game while in the hospital, I had to make him hold the new baby for 2 min). There is very much so a addiction to games, rather people want to belive it or not. He promises to get better, but never does. He don't want to admit he has a problem, he blames everyone else for everything.

[cryticfarm]

The best way to get yourself out of this game is hack and get banned. That's how I did it at least. I just flew around in the middle of some big city.

[iGuest]

Tricknology - Lvl 70 Warlock

Gratz to anyone that manages to enjoy Warcraft without losing vast amounts of time to it.  I was addicted to World of Warcraft for over a year before I managed to tear myself free from the grind.  I still miss it sometimes but I have found things in the outside world that are more fulfilling.  Shoot, I even wrote a short article about it for those that are interested:  How to Break a World of Warcraft Addiction

[iGuest]

husband addictWorld Of Warcraft Addiction

hi my name is angel, I have a husband who also plays it alllll day everyday.. Everythime I talk to him he never listens and says he doesnt have a problem.  but when I start to cry thats when he stops. (for a pl days) then its right back to normal. I get irritated because there are girl players on there who spend more time with him then I do during the day. We have 2 children and I get little help (sometimes) from him. I love him I do but it drives me nuts. He was wounded in iraq and says it takes his mind off it but he doesnt realize it takes his mind off of everything, me and his 2 kids. All day everyday is spent in this house. I tried "playing with him.  Doesnt work he says hes to high of a lvl to help me I'm a lvl 8 because I play and take care of the kids hes a lvl 71??? wow is horrible. It started off that he was going to play sometimes when there was nothing else to do or right before bed but now its vice versa he spends time with me when hes not busy on wow. God I hate this game everytime I hope he is slowing down it back fires .

I know what you are going through.

Angel

[Томму]

Cute guide
I've felt this on my own shoulders - it sucks. I'm still playing World of Warcraft, but I no longer pay for it and I play on private servers. Oh, yeah, I play about 2 hours per week now. I've never got to that level of addiction where you totally lose your friends, girlfriend, and everyday activities mostly because I had friends which kept calling me out no matter how many times I declined, and because of my daily sports routine.
The problem is, in most cases, when you're addicted, you do not want to stop playing WoW. You find it interesting and you feel like you would do anything just to play the game. You just need to delete the game from your PC and break the game CDs and throw them into you're trash can. Or if you can't do it yourself, if you're hesitating when doing it, tell a friend about it while you're conscious and beg him to delete it for you. End of problem.